dried fruits in rubs


 
A

adam clyde

TVWBB Pro
has anyone tried using dried fruits in rubs? for example, dried apricots, cut into cubes, dried further until it can be made into powder. then used in rubs.

never heard of that before, never tried it before, but thought I'd look into it...
 
I tried what you're proposing with apples before and decided it was a long project with little benefit. There are simpler ways of introducing mild fruit flavor to the meat; ways like using powdered drink mixes in the rub or melting jam or jelly and brushing it on as a glaze or incorporating into into the finishing sauce.

It took more than 24 hours in my non-commercial dehydrator to get the apples dry enough before they could be ground into a powder. Even when the apples seemed dry and brittle enough to grind, there was still enough moisture in them to gum up the spice grinder if I dried them for less than a full day. Once I finally was able to get the apples to a powder, it couldn't be stored for any length of time since the powder absorbed moisture from the atmosphere and formed huge clumps that went to waste.

I came to the conclusion it wasn't worth the time, mess, and effort but I'd be interested in hearing others' experiences using different fruits.

Ken
 
interesting. I was wondering if that would be the case.

Bananas crisp up rather easily. I'm really most interested in either peaches or apricot, but I'm guessing that they would be even harder to get dry than apples.

I'm intrigued with your jam comment. Seems that even a no-sugar would would have enough natural sugars to burn in the smoker. what do you think?
 
My experiences are similar to Ken's. For dry rubs it is not worth the trouble and the flavor is not substantial enough to warrant the effort. I do like dried fruits (bananas and pineapple in particular) in some paste rubs but I do not use them in what most of us here would consider 'typical' barbecue. It is important to get the balance of wet, moist, and dry ingredients right if making a paste with dried fruits (one does not need them bone dry though). I'd recommend a grinder specifically for pastes as a mill or blender will gum up as Ken noted.

Very finely minced or powdered dried fruits are quite good as an element in stuffings (think stuffed pork chops, stuffed chicken breasts, et. al.).

Jams, jellies, reduced fruit juices, fruit syrups do have enough sugars in them to burn if too long in the heat. They make superb finishing glazes however. Most need no time in the cooker--the heat from the meat's surface alone is enough to seize and set them. To me, it is an excellent way to introduce fruit. A thin veneer of glaze will add fruit flavor and, done well, will not mask the rub, smoke or meat flavors but will act as one element of a layered flavor finish.
 
Its not Dried fruit or slow-cook BBQ, but I had good results using either ground up apples and some preferred spices as a marinade with a pork centre cut loin Roast (the same cut they make the butterfly chops out of). You could substitute apple sauce.

I prepared the marinade, soaked the roast in it for a couple hours in the fridge, and then roasted it on my 22.5 Kettle on indirect heat (medium high heat). Cook time was 2 hours or so (I can't be more precise because I didn't keep logs then). The marinade didn't blacken, and I had good reviews all around on the flavour.
 
Mmmm. A banana-based rub that makes pulled pork taste like a daquiri. On second thought, I'll pass.

Another concern I'd have with the further drying of commercial dried fruits is the chemicals the fruit is exposed to during processing. Many fruits are treated to a 'sulphuring' process which exposes the cut fruit to sulphur dioxide gas as way of keeping it oxidizing and turning brown.

The gas is supposed to be odorless and tasteless but I swear most of the commercially dried fruit I've tried strikes me as having a metallic aftertaste. To my mind, drying packaged dried fruit to the point it could be successfully ground into a powder would only heighten that unpleasant aftertaste.

Anyway, that's my thoughts on the topic. As the old disclaimer says, your mileage may, of course, vary.

Kevin is right about the high sugar content of jams and jellies being susceptible to burning at temperatures somewhat above the normal low-and-slow range. They can be used but the margin for disaster is a lot smaller.

I've had good luck using the Polaner all fruit products in my finishing sauces. They seem to be sufficiently sweet without introducing any additional sugar.

This thread suddenly has me craving apricot glazed pork kabobs. Have fun experimenting.

Ken
 
I agree on the taste of sulphured fruits. I use unsulphured--not as pretty but I think they taste better and the pieces I dry further and grind, well, they become powder so the color is immaterial.

Polaner is great for sauces and glazes. TJ's has a line of similar organic jams that I like as well.

'Banana-based' I might pass on too. It's just one element of a few multi-ingredient paste rubs I do (one a Caribbean curry sort of thing for pork or goat sate; one for grill-roasting breadfruit; one for a jerk-like mix for chicken), but I do like banana ketchup as a condiment for many highly spiced grilled meats. And grilled bananas or plaintains--chile-rubbed--are favorites.
 
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